ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. capital — a city
  3. bore — to tire
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. net — in sport
  10. bulb — for light
  11. court — of law
  12. net — after costs
  13. stock — shares
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bore — to drill
  21. stock — goods
  22. net — for catching
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com